Primary: Illinois has a mixed-hybrid primary system. Voters can change parties each year but must declare a party affiliation at the polls. Depending on which party is chosen, the voter will then be counted as registered for that party. Voters may change party affiliation at polls or caucus.

Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent is Bill Foster (D), who was first elected in 1992.

Illinois' 11th Congressional District includes the towns of Joliet, Bloomington, Normal, Kankakee, LaSalle, Ottawa and Streator. It also includes all or parts of Will, Kankakee, Grundy, LaSalle, Bureau, Woodford and McLean counties.[4]

Candidates

Note: Prior to the signature filing deadline, candidates will be added when Ballotpedia writers come across declared candidates. If you see a name of a candidate who is missing, please email us and we will add that name. As the election draws closer, more information will be added to this page.General election candidates

Withdrew from race

Issues

Duck Dynasty

Ian Bayne expressed support for “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson on December 20, 2013, and compared the reality television personality to civil rights icon Rosa Parks.[9][10]

“In December 1955, Rosa Parks took a stand against an unjust societal persecution of black people, and in December 2013, Robertson took a stand against persecution of Christians,” Bayne wrote. “What Parks did was courageous. What Mr. Robertson did was courageous too.”[9]

Government shutdown

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[11] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[12]Bill Foster voted against the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[13]

The shutdown finally ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funds the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[14] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Bill Foster voted for HR 2775.[15]